A few weeks ago our project manager came to me and said, ‘the workers have a request for you’. Usually I would then expect that they are going to ask for something for free. This is not something we encourage very much and the staff know our attitude on this. The request for gum boots…

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When I am in Kampala driving around the city can be quite a challenge with the amount of traffic. However, when I am going back to Kisinga in the west of Uganda I drive through the Queen Elizabeth Game Park, and quite often you have to watch out for the elephants as they cross the…

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When people talk about aid and development in Africa the main topics are usually education, health care, and clean water. While these are very important, there is a more fundamental problem that also needs addressing. Schools, hospitals and water systems all cost a lot of money! Often this money is supplied as development aid from…

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It was 6th October 2014 when Agri Evolve was registered as a new company. It has been a good and exciting year with lots of progress, plenty of challenges along the way, and as we look forward to our 2nd year we are excited about the potential that lies ahead. Jonny moved out to Western Uganda in…

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So I’ve been in Kampala a lot recently and one of the things that this place is most famous for is the traffic! Especially if you’ve seen the Top Gear Africa Special, which starts in Kampala. There are two ways to ‘move’ (as the locals say) around Kampala Driving Boda-boda (motorbike) While driving is the…

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Here in the west of Uganda we are suffering from a long drought. Traditionally the dry season ends on 15th August and so all of the farmers go out and plant their crops, expecting good rains for the next few months. However…..the weather system seems to have other ideas! As seems to be the case…

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Those of you in the UK that may be thinking of me in Uganda, and imagining me in a dusty field, dripping in sweat, holding my phone in the air looking for signal, suffering from lack of water….I’m afraid I have to disappoint you! Chris and I are currently in Kampala, the capital of Uganda…

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When I left University with a degree in Agriculture the natural and perhaps expected thing for me to do would be to go and work my way up to being a farm manger of a few thousand acres of prime arable land in the UK. For a while, that is what I thought I would…

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During my time back in the UK recently, have had the time to talk to many people about what I’m doing in Uganda. The reactions are varied to say the least! Most are very positive and think that I am doing is great. Others are a bit more cautious, worried about where I will live,…

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Some of you may have noticed that our website has recently changed, if not please take a look www.agrievolve.co.uk. We are keen to hear your thoughts, comments, suggestions, ideas…..any feedback you have please sent it to us. We have already had some feedback and it has been helpful in making some changes to improve the…

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Starting a business is not an easy process to say the least! The last few months have been challenging as we work to turn our ideas and ambitions into reality. We have a lot of support and having spoken to many people about what I’m doing I am as confident as ever about what we…

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Been following Obama’s visit to Africa with much interest. Great to hear him talk about the need for business, entrepreneurs and a new approach to working with Africa. The days of patronising Africa with aid are ending. What Agri Evolve is doing is at the forefront of this new approach and we will be part…

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One of the most frequent questions I get when talking about Agri Evolve is….’Are you a charity?’, to which I answer ‘No we are a social enterprise with a profit for purpose ethos’. This is a fairly new idea in the world of sustainable development. There seems to be an assumption that if your going…

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I’ve spent a lot of time in Uganda getting to know people, who they are, what their livelihood is, and generally just becoming good friends. You get a lot of nice invitations to visit people and their homes, sometimes too many, however one that I could not refuse as it was a bit different to…

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A lot of time in the last few weeks has been devoted to looking at potential projects and telling farmers about our idea for Agri Evolve. This has been very encouraging as the support from the local farmers and officials has been even greater that I had hoped for. It’s hard to know where to…

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In the time I have spent here in Uganda, I have made many very good friends. My dad had told me before I came here that I would find the most kind and generous people I have ever met, and they did not disappoint. Their lives are challenging and poverty is rife here, but every…

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Another week has flown by and everything seems to be travelling at a million miles an hour! Even though there is a certain pace of life here, Agri Evolves time goes at another level. We have accomplished so much but there is yet still so much more to cover. I love writing these blogs talking…

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My original idea was to call this blog, 4 weddings and another wedding. In Uganda, Christmas time is the season for weddings, we’ve been invited to a lot, and very different to as I imagined… The first thing I noticed is the time keeping of the event. It is perfectly acceptable to turn up and…

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Considering the mountains here, unpredictable trails of dirt and many broken roads, we actually haven’t got stuck anywhere. What we have done, is managed to get ourselves right into the thick of Ugandan agricultural life with many different projects taking place, farm visits, partnership creating and many other interesting activities. Looking at the progress of…

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Two weeks in now and so much has happened. Agri Evolve has been driving all over the area meeting with farmers, appointments with the high chief and county leaders, talking to the head of agriculture at the Umbarara university, visiting the ‘Bukonzo joint coffee production co-operatives’ as well as planning the first irrigation system, It’s…